Founder & CEO @ Close
Steli Efti I was surprised to see McGregor get knocked out by Poirier this fast. But one thing that’s been bothering me about McGregor is that I don’t think he’s been picking the right sparring partners to prepare for this fight. None of his sparring partners really had the chops to seriously challenge him as much as …
In this episode, I talk about a breakthrough I’ve had in my martial arts after a training session on LSD. In my training of martial arts, there are periods where I’m on a very intense schedule, practicing five, six, or even seven days a week. And then there are periods where I train only once …
Here’s a conversation where I talk about the importance of pacing myself and managing my energy throughout the course of a day. I have a tendency to go full speed whenever I feel energized—until my tank runs out of fuel and I crash hard. Today, I practiced breaking that pattern. When I felt excited or …
A few weeks ago, I ordered a guitar. I spent most of my teenage years chasing the dream of becoming the world’s best guitarist, practicing all day, every day… until one day when I realized I’d never become the greatest. And from that day on, I’ve—with a few rare exceptions—never touched a guitar again. Until …
Here’s another very personal episode. If you’re looking for sales, startup, and business advice, skip this episode, it’s not going to be a good use of your time. If you want to get to know me better as a human being, particularly some of my private struggles and the inner work I do, then maybe …
Here’s a personal conversation I’ve had with a friend back in September. I’ve been feeling tense and tired for a very long time, and I wanted to allow myself to just feel this feeling of tiredness more, rather than do what I usually do: trying to overcome my tiredness, and just push it away. And …
One of my favorite reads of this year was Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. I love Zorba’s practical wisdom and zest for life. He manages to see the everything and everybody as a miracle worth celebrating, while also recognizing that we’re all just sacks of bones and flesh and flaws, and that everything we …
Here’s another Way of the Warrior episode, where I share lessons I learn while practicing martial arts. There’s a certain technique I’ve practiced many times and understood well—or so I thought. Let’s just say it was a very humbling session, where the idea I carried in my head wasn’t fully aligned with the reality that …
I recently read Herman Hesse’s book Siddhartha, which tells the story of a man seeking enlightenment. From a young age on, together with his best friend, he sought spiritual teachers and mentors to learn and guide him. Because he was a very dedicated disciple of these different teachers, he excelled in many practices, but soon …
What’s the driving force that keeps you excited, motivated, and makes you come alive? This is not always an easy question to answer, but in this episode I share a simple way of uncovering your purpose at work. Think about the last 3 months. What were some of the best moments you’ve had at work? …
This might just be the most uncomfortable piece of content I’ve ever published. I recently had a lousy day, and captured my mood and thoughts in a rare, ad hoc voice memo. I want to share this with you, because I believe there’s value in realizing that we all have down days. But rather than …
How much of our days do we spend on our image? How often don’t we do something we feel like doing, because we’re concerned how others might perceive us? How often do we do something we don’t feel like doing, simply to portray ourselves in a certain way to others? What a waste of life. …
Here’s a mental framework I found very useful, and that helps me to keep it real: The truth is always simple. If it’s complicated, it’s probably not the truth. When things seem too complex, it’s probably a mind trick you’re playing on yourself because you don’t want to face the truth. I learned this back …
I’m currently with 2 friends in Thessaloniki and want to share the story of 3 encounters with different beggars we’ve had here, and what we can learn from it. One beggar was an aggressive hustler, a young boy who probably was forced to work for a gang. One beggar was an proud old man who …
A few years ago I fell in love with martial arts, and it’s become a great source of learnings and insights for me. In the Way of the Warrior series, I’m going to share these lessons with you—and I find that most of them are relevant not just in the context of fighting, but also …
On a recent summer night I witnessed something touching and magical that I want to share with you in today’s episode. If you have a negative self-image, or simply want to build a more positive self-image, it’s well worth the ten minute listen! TRANSCRIPT I recently witnessed something truly beautiful and magical. And I wanted …
Being a dad also means dealing with a lot of mundane little issues. Things like making sure your kids do their homework. To be honest—I’m not big on homework myself. I was terrible at school. I don’t think school is a great preparation for life. But I do strive to look at mundane little issues …